Sunday, October 30, 2016

LARAMIE, Wyoming--Defensive tackle Chase Appelby forced a fumble that bounced through the end zone for a safety with 1:25 remaining as surging Wyoming upset previously unbeaten #13 Boise State 30-28 last night.The Broncos, who had shown a propensity to play close games this season, with three of their seven victories coming by a combined nine points, including a 28-27 nail-biter last week over BYU, were not as fortunate this time around. The loss ended Boise State's nine-game winning streak, 10th-longest in program history.The victory propelled the Cowboys into Top 25 discussions and are evidence of the remarkable turnaround that coach Craig Bohl has achieved in three seasons at the helm of the Wyoming program. Wyoming was just 2-10 last season and is now in first place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference with a perfect 4-0 conference mark and 6-2 overall.Bohl, an assistant coach at his alma mater Nebraska for eight years, led North Dakota State to three consecutive FCS national championships from 2011-13 before coming to Wyoming.Boise State coach Bryan Harsin credited Bohl after the game: "They got some mojo going on out there."Wyoming defeated the high-pedigree Broncos for the first time in 11 games. Thousands of Cowboy faithful rushed the field to congratulate their team in the game's final seconds.Boise State (7-1, 4-1 in MW play), which came into the game #120 in the country in turnover margin, once again lost the turnover battle and it cost them dearly. The difference in the strength of the offensive line, quarterback play and the use of tight ends in the passing game between the two teams also were evident. The Cowboy offensive line protected Josh Allen, whose laser-like precision passing, timely running and decision-making skills led Wyoming to remarkable success on third down, and opened big holes for Brian Hill, the nation's #2 rusher. The Cowboys converted 10-of-18 such opportunities while Boise State was 2-of-8.Allen completed 18-of-31 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns while Hill ran for 146 yards on 28 carries. Tight end Jake Hollister, who seemingly ran through the Bronco defense unnoticed for much of the night, caught six passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Despite an early fumble by Jeremy McNichols, Boise State raced to a 21-10 lead in the second quarter after TD runs of 5 and 2 yards by McNichols and an 18-yard burst into the end zone by freshman Alexander Mattison. McNichols ran his streak of scoring a touchdown to 20 consecutive games to tie Derrick Henry of Alabama for the second-longest streak over the last 10 years.But the Broncos scored just seven points after that, as another turnover, an interception thrown late in the first half by Brett Rypien, resulted in an Allen to Hollister 28-yard touchdown pass two plays later that cut the halftime lead to 21-17. The Bronco defense seemed to be unsure of their responsibilities on the play, as Hollister was uncovered.Rypien led Boise State to the Wyoming 37 on the ensuing possession with completions to Chaz Anderson, Sean Modster, Cedrick Wilson and Thomas Sperbeck that covered 12, 18, 11 and 13 yards respectively. The Bronco offense at that point had great field position and plenty of time (32 seconds) to find the end zone or maneuver into position for a field goal attempt. But the Bronco offensive line allowed two consecutive sacks, the latter making it impossible for Rypien to even unleash a Hail Mary pass, to take away any scoring opportunity.Punts filled the Laramie sky in the third quarter as both defenses dominated. Then, the Cowboys mounted a 10-play drive late in the quarter, with Allen shining brightly on two consecutive third-down conversions. First, Allen scrambled 16 yards on a third-and-10, and then hit C.J. Johnson with a bullet that went for 25 yards on a third-and-5 to the Bronco 29. Shortly after the teams traded positions in the fourth quarter, Wyoming's Cooper Rothe connected on a 39-yard field goal that cut the once comfortable Bronco lead to one at 21-10.Boise State responded with their only score in the last 36 minutes and 26 seconds of the game when they drove to the Wyoming 33. On the next play, Rypien handed off to McNichols, who pitched it to wide receiver Sperbeck on an end-around. Sperbeck, a quarterback in high school, rolled out to his right and fired a perfect pass to an uncovered Rypien, who sprinted into the end zone for a 28-20 lead. Five of Sperbeck's eight collegiate completions (8-13 for 61.5%) have gone for touchdowns in his Boise State career.Wyoming came back with a 75-yard drive of their own, converting three more consecutive third-downs, the last on a third-and-13 when Allen found Tanner Gentry with a 27-yard scoring strike. Allen then threaded the needle to Jake Maulhardt for a two-point conversion that tied the score with 6:42 left in the game.Both defenses held, with an Ethan Wood punt backing Boise State up to it's own 10-yard line. Rather than attempting to run out the clock and play overtime, Harsin elected to go for the winning score. Rypien's first-down pass to Sperbeck was incomplete, and on second down, he dropped back near his goal line, when Appleby engaged Bronco guard Travis Averill and then burst past Bronco tackle Archie Lewis untouched and knocked the ball out of the end zone.Boise State failed on an onside kick and the Cowboys ran out the clock to the delight of their home fans.Rypien completed 22-of-35 passes for 295 yards for Boise State, which dropped to 3-1 in conference play. Rypien moved past Grant Hedrick (2011-14) and Jim McMillan (1971-74) and is now sixth at Boise State with 5,722 career passing yards (see charts at conclusion of this article.) However, Rypien saw his streak of 13 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, third-longest at Boise State, end in tonight's loss.Sperbeck, who passed legendary Boise State receiver Don Hutt (1970-73) for fifth place in career receptions, led the Bronco receivers with eight catches for 80 while Wilson finished with four for 84 yards.

McNichols, the country's #6 rusher coming into the game, ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns to over the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. It is the 24th time since 1979 that a Bronco running back has topped 1,000 yards in a season. McNichols passed David Mikell (2000-03) and Chris Thomas (1988-1991) and is now seventh all-time with 34 career rushing touchdowns. McNichols also tied Thomas for sixth with his 13th career game of 100 or more yards. McNichols and Thomas are tied for second in career receptions by a Bronco running back with 93. Brock Forsey (1999-2002) is the school record holder with 103.The total offense by the two teams was as close as the score, with Wyoming outgaining the Broncos 489 yards to 487.Boise State hosts San Jose State next Friday night, while Wyoming stays home against Utah State, the last-place team in the Mountain Division.*********************************************

With Clemson's win over another high quality team, they again have the most impressive resume this season, with three wins over Top 25 teams and another over a team in the "others to be considered" list. Alabama, last week's #1, has two wins over Top 25 teams and one other impressive win.Questions in ranking differences between teams next to each other can usually be answered by looking at their resume. Alabama is ranked ahead of Michigan because their win over #4 Texas A&M is the biggest of the year. This comparison is close, but Alabama's wins are slightly bigger than Michigan's.#4 Texas A&M is ranked behind Michigan because, even though they have bigger wins, they lost a game to Alabama that wasn't close. A&M is ranked ahead of Washington because Washington's biggest win is a narrow win over the #21 team. Because Washington had a tough time with #21, it is logical that they also would be beaten pretty easy by Alabama.Although Louisville's only loss was a close one to the #1 team, they are ranked behind Washington because Washington's win, as close as it was, was much more impressive than Louisville's biggest win over an unranked team. Louisville is ranked ahead of Western Michigan because not only is their biggest win much more impressive, but their only loss was a narrow loss to #1.Western Michigan is ranked ahead of Ohio State because they are unbeaten. While it is true that they don't have a quality win (defined as a win over a Top 25 team or one being considered), Ohio State lost to the #20 team. One cannot make the same case for the Buckeyes that they can for Louisville or Texas A&M, the one-loss teams ahead of Ohio State, because those teams lost to #1 and #2 while Ohio State lost to #20 Penn State. A team that loses to a #20 team is dangerously close to being ranked below that team, and would be with one more loss.And so on...I'll point out one other comparison, between #13 Baylor and #14 West Virginia. Both teams lost this week, and West Virginia's loss was to a ranked team while Baylor lost to unranked Texas. By using that logic, West Virginia should be ahead. The big difference? The common opponent Oklahoma State. Baylor beat Oklahoma State while West Virginia lost to Oklahoma State.This was a week of several upsets. Because of this, teams that lost didn't fall as much as they perhaps otherwise would have. Even with losses, their resume is still more impressive than teams behind them.

(Note: the rankings are based on logic rather than hype or potential. Teams with the same record are judged by their biggest wins and their losses, if any. Impressive wins over Top 25 teams are more important than other wins, and losses to Top 25 teams hurt far less than other losses.The "Biggest Win" refers to the highest-ranked win; generally, only ranked teams and teams being considered are listed. Sometimes, as in the case of Western Michigan, they don't have a win over teams in these rankings, and it is unknown at this time which of their listed wins is the biggest.)

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Jay Ajayi once again surpassed 200 rushing yards and in so doing, became just the fourth player since 1967 in the NFL to record back-to-back 200+ yard rushing games.Jay Ajayi, running back of the Miami Dolphins, had 28 carries for 214 yards and a TD and one catch for 2 yards in Miami win.Ryan Clady, starting tackle of the New York Jets, helped the Jets beat the Ravens.Kamalei Correa, linebacker for Baltimore, had three tackles, two of them solo, in Baltimore loss.Tyrone Crawford, starting defensive tackle for Dallas, was off this week.George Iloka, starting safety for Cincinnati, recorded 10 tackles, 8 of them solo, in Bengal win.DeMarcus Lawrence, defensive end for Dallas, had a bye week.Charles Leno, tackle for the Bears, saw action as Chicago lost to Green Bay.Doug Martin, running back for Tampa Bay, is injured.Shea McClellin, linebacker for New England, had no stats in Patriot win.Kellen Moore, quarterback for Dallas, is on the injured reserve list.Reed Odhiambo, the backup left guard for Seattle, played as the Seahawks tied with Arizona.Matt Paradis, started at center for Denver, helped the Broncos win.Orlando Scandrick, cornerback for Dallas, is injured.Jamar Taylor, starting cornerback for Cleveland, had five tackles, three of them solo, in Brown loss.Darian Thompson, reserve safety for the New York Giants, had no statistics in Giant win.Kyle Wilson, cornerback for New Orleans, is on injured reserve.Billy Winn, backup defensive end with Denver, had one tackle in Bronco win.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Boise State is on a streak of 19 consecutive winning seasons dating back to 1998. To compare their progress, I am listing two charts--one for the list as the teams came into this year (through 2015 that is easier to keep track of) and one that includes the teams (thus far this season) that have extended their streaks.

Active List updated to include teams that have clinched winning seasons in 2016:

(teams that have clinched winning seasons in 2016 are indicated in bold)

You can tell a good Top 25 ranking when the teams don't move much, especially late in the year--it means the teams are generally ranked where they should be. The Coaches and AP Polls both had Arkansas ranked ahead of Auburn, unlike this ranking. Since Auburn trounced the Hogs 56-3, it's pretty obvious that Arkansas isn't better than Auburn.The other key question of the week is: will the major polls continue to rank a four-loss Mississippi? This ranking didn't even consider them last week and hasn't had them in the Top 25 for several weeks, for good reason.Very close between #1 and #2. Alabama has the biggest win (over #4 Texas A&M), but Clemson has three wins over Top 25 teams. The Tide gets the nod with bigger wins over Top 25 teams; Clemson's three wins were all tight.Yet another measure of a good ranking--the major polls had Ohio State as their #2 team. This ranking had them #4. The loss to Penn State very well could be an upset, but going in, there was no reason to have them #2; they had less going for them than Alabama, Clemson and Texas A&M and the loss to Penn State proved that.Washington continued to fall as their biggest win (Stanford) continues to look less and less impressive. Oklahoma has a similar story, as their loss to Houston looks worse in hindsight.

(Note: the rankings are based on logic rather than hype or potential. Teams with the same record are judged by their biggest wins and their losses, if any. Impressive wins over Top 25 teams are more important than other wins, and losses to Top 25 teams hurt far less than other losses.The "Biggest Win" refers to the highest-ranked win; generally, only ranked teams and teams being considered are listed. Sometimes, as in the case of Western Michigan, they don't have a win over teams in these rankings, and it is unknown at this time which of their listed wins is the biggest.)

Friday, October 21, 2016

BOISE, ID--Quarterback Brett Rypien threw for 442 yards (eighth-most in school history) and three touchdowns and Jeremy McNichols rushed for 140 and another score as #14 Boise State edged BYU 28-27 in a thriller in Albertsons Stadium tonight.The Broncos advanced to 7-0 despite losing five turnovers. Since 2004, FBS teams that are a negative-5 in the turnover battle are a combined 9-231.With the victory, Boise State broke Nebraska's modern record for the most wins in an 18-year period. The Cornhuskers won 192 games from 1982-1999; the Broncos have now won 193 since 1999 with a minimum of five games remaining. Boise State also tied the Harvard teams from 1896 to 1905 for the fifth-most wins in NCAA history over a 20-year period and moved into the all-time Top 10 for wins in a 21-year period (see charts at the conclusion of this article.)

Boise State has now won seven or more games in 18 consecutive seasons, a streak that ranks 11th in collegiate football history.

Meanwhile, BYU, 4-4 on the season, has lost those four games by a combined eight points.On the heels of victories over Michigan State of the Big Ten and Mississippi State of the SEC, BYU learned that a 5-0 advantage in turnovers isn't enough to beat a Boise State team playing on only four full days' rest after a 28-23 Bronco win over Colorado State late Saturday night. And, when things went bad for one Bronco unit, another came to their aid. The Cougars were jumping routes and swiping and clawing at the football all night, resulting in two pick six's and three fumble recoveries which greatly helped their cause.''We had five turnovers and we were able to take care of the football, which is what kept us in the game,'' BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. ''When you're ahead 5-0 in the turnover battle, you shouldn't even be in the game. That says a lot about how good this Boise State team is.''BYU mounted a last-minute drive in an effort to pull off the upset, but, with 16 seconds remaining, nose tackle David Moa blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt by Rhett Almond, which fell behind the Cougar line. BYU's Mitch Juergens was able to recover, but on the final play, a Hail Mary attempt in the end zone was knocked down and fell to the Blue turf.''I think it shows the will of this team,'' Boise State linebacker Tanner Vallejo said. ''We scratched and clawed and were able to get the win. This is a confidence booster for this team.''The Broncos coasted to a 14-0 lead as Rypien spotted McNichols on a deep route over the middle for a 76-yard touchdown and then found reliable receiver Thomas Sperbeck for a 12-yard scoring strike. On the opening play of Boise State's second scoring drive, Sperbeck hauled in a 20-yard pass from Rypien to become the school's all-time leader in career reception yards with 3,030, passing former Detroit Lion Titus Young. Sperbeck also tied Ryan Ikebe (1993-96) for the school record with his 13th game of 100 or more receiving yards.

Sperbeck, who celebrated his birthday with his record-setting effort, is 49 catches behind Matt Miller for the all-time career receptions mark at Boise State.After Almond's 35-yard field goal put BYU on the board, BYU's Fred Warner jumped in front of a Rypien pass on Boise State's next possession and walked a tightrope along the sideline for a 44-yard interception return into the end zone. Then, less than 10 minutes later, Nick Kurtz snared a tipped pass and carried it in from 50 yards out to give the Cougars their first lead at 17-14.The Boise State defense came to the rescue time and time again when miscues by the offense gave the Cougars golden opportunities. McNichols' fumble after a 25-yard gain and recovery by BYU on the Boise State 41-yard line gave the Cougars an excellent chance to extend their lead with 4:54 left in the half. But they came away with no points when the Bronco defense stopped them on fourth down.Rypien then completed 5-for-5 passes to lead Boise State on a textbook two-minute drive, firing a bullet through two BYU defenders into the hands of Bronco receiver Cedrick Wilson in the end zone for a 36-yard TD and a 21-17 halftime lead.Boise State was able to overcome those three first-half turnovers by amassing 357 yards of total offense, while BYU just crossed the 100-yard mark in the final seconds of the opening half. BYU thwarted two other Bronco first-half scoring drives when Kai Nacua blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Rausa on Boise State's third drive of the game and Rausa missed a 30-yard try with 9:38 left.The Cougars began to shift momentum when Sae Tautu sacked Rypien on a fourth-and-three at the Cougar 36 with 9:01 left in the third quarter. Twenty-six-year-old BYU quarterback Taysom Hill led his team to the go-ahead score with his running and passing, accounting for 60 yards and powering ahead from one yard out for the touchdown. Hill scrambled for 18 yards for a third down conversion and, after a chop block penalty backed his team up on second-and-25, Hill connected with Juergens with a 33-yard pass that set up his own touchdown.After a change of possessions, Boise State's Akilian Butler ran up to field a punt with 6:02 left in the quarter, but the ball hit off his chest at his own 27-yard line with alert Cougar defenders recovering. Once again, the Boise State defense was summoned onto the field to face adversity. Again, they refused to allow points, pushing the Cougars back to the 34-yard line and forcing a punt.

As successful as they were moving the ball in the opening 30 minutes, the Bronco offense shot itself in the foot with another fumble three plays later. Sperbeck was stripped of the ball after a 15-yard catch on the Boise State 31.The Bronco defense stiffened once again as Moa sacked Hill on third down to limit BYU to a 35-yard field goal by Almond to give the Cougars a 27-21 lead with 13:38 left in the game. The three Bronco fumbles resulted in a total of three BYU points and the stoutness of the Boise State defense was the difference in the game.

Rypien's passing and McNichols' rushing led Boise State on a 10-play, 90-yard drive, with the key play being when Rypien hooked up with tight end Jake Knight on a 46-yard pass play to the Cougar 4. McNichols bulled into the end zone on the next play for what proved to be the winning touchdown. But it wasn't without a good dose of drama.BYU drove the ball to the Boise State 41 before the Bronco defense forced a punt. Boise State coach Bryan Harsin put the ball in the hands of McNichols, who carried six consecutive times and converted three first downs in an effort to salt the game away.But the drive stalled at the Bronco 45-yard line with 2:24 remaining. Sean Wale's booming 46-yard punt backed the Cougars up to their eight-yard line for their final drive.Hill found Colby Pearson for an eight-yard completion and Squally Canada picked up a third-down conversion with a five-yard run to the 21. Hill then connected with Jonah Trinnamen on an 11-yard completion, and after Hill scrambled for nine yards, he hit Juergens for another first down at the BYU 48 with 40 seconds left.A nine-yard pass from Hill to Trinnamen and a 13-yard completion to Juergens gave the Cougars two more first downs to set up the field goal try by Almond and the thrilling finish.Rypien completed 25-of-39 passes, with Sperbeck (9 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown) being his top target. McNichols finished with five catches for 109, including the 76-yard touchdown, as he once again surpassed 200 yards of all-purpose offense with 249.Sean Modster enjoyed his best game as a Bronco, hauling in four passes for 82 yards and Wilson caught four passes for 68 yards.In just over a season-and-a-half, Rypien has 35 career touchdown passes to move past Ron Autele (34 in 1970 and 1972-73), Eric Guthrie (33 from 1968-71) and Joe Southwick (also 33 from 2010-13) into ninth place at Boise State. Rypien's 442 yards passing gives him three of the Top 10 single-game performances, matched only by former Bronco legend Kellen Moore.Rypien tied Moore for the second-most 400-yard passing performances in school history. Only Ryan Dinwiddie (2000-03) has more with four. Rypien also notched his eighth game throwing for 300 or more yards to rank #4 all-time.Rypien has now thrown a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games, a feat topped only by Moore (with 39 consecutive games from 2009-11) and Bart Hendricks (24 from 1999-2000). Rypien now ranks 8th in career total offense with 5,337.With 140 rushing yards and 109 receiving yards, McNichols posted his sixth game with 200 or more yards of all-purpose offense to tie former Bronco and current Miami Dolphin Jay Ajayi (2012-14) for second place in the Boise State record book. It was just the fifth time in school history that a Bronco player has topped 100 yards in both rushing and receiving in a game.McNichols is now tied with John Smith (1972-75) for sixth in career touchdowns with 42.McNichols recorded his 12th career game of 100 or more rushing yards to tie Jon Francis (1984-85) and Rodney Webster (1980-83) for seventh in Bronco history. McNichols now has 91 career receptions to pass both John Smith (89 from 1972-75) and Jeremy Avery (87 from 2007-10) for third place among Boise State running backs. McNichols is 12 yards behind school record holder Brock Forsey (103 from 1999-2002).

McNichols also moved up to 10th on the career all-purpose yards list and now has 3,952.Hill completed 21-of-42 passes for 187 yards and ran for 48 yards and a touchdown. Canada, who first committed to Boise State in 2013 before signing a letter of intent with Washington State and then finding a home at BYU, led the Cougar ground game with 88 yards on 21 carries. Canada filled in admirably for leading BYU rusher Jamaal Williams, who suffered an ankle injury in practice this week.The Cougars have the week off before traveling to Cincinnati on November 5, while Boise State travels to Wyoming next Saturday with first place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference on the line.*************************************************************Most Wins In 18-Year Period:

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About Me

I have been a fan of Boise State since 1968. In 1975, I won a national Quill & Scroll award for Best Feature Writing. I graduated from Boise State in 1986 with a B.B.A. in Management. Since that time, I have researched and published several articles about the Broncos and have helped to raise $200,000 for the school as well as to sell out season football tickets and various other projects.